


Bright

by jencsi



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25850761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jencsi/pseuds/jencsi
Summary: The beginning of a new adventure for Finn; told in small moments of memories that led her to where she is now, with someone special by her side.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	Bright

August 2012 

It was warm but nothing like the sweltering heat of Las Vegas as Finn exited the cab with Emily and their luggage in tow in front of her parents home, the place she grew up, in the suburbs of Philadelphia on a August day. Finn held Emily’s hand while pulling her suitcase behind her. Emily carried her backpack on her shoulders and a rolling luggage bag behind her as well. Finn caught her staring at a group of kids riding their bikes down the street and at another group of kids playing soccer in their front yard. She gave her hand a gentle squeeze of support as they continued their walk. 

Despite her reassurance for Emily, Finn felt a prickle of anxiety flare up in her chest and her stomach. Her parents knew she was coming for a visit with a surprise for them but she didn’t say what the surprise was. Now she was wondering if maybe she should have let them know the surprise was a child. Nevertheless, she walked up the concrete path with as much confidence as she could muster, with Emily clutching her hand. The pair made it to the porch where Julie knocked on the front door instead of using her key, wanting to really surprise her folks. When her mother answered, she gasped at the sight of her daughter. 

“What are you doing here so early? Karen inquired “I thought you told me your flight got in after lunch time?”

“I lied,” Finn admitted smugly. 

“Well you could have called me,” Karen scoffed “I would have come and picked you up at least.” 

“We’re fine mom,” Finn insisted, squeezing Emily’s hand a little tighter now. 

At the deceleration and use of the word “we” Karen glanced down at the little girl clutching her daughter's hand and staring up at her with interest. Finn shifted nervously on the porch, not sure how to introduce them except to say “Can we come in?” 

“Of course,” Karen said, holding the door open as the pair dragged their suitcases into the living room. 

Karen shut the door softly and locked it, turning back to her daughter as she said “All right kiddo, you want to tell me what’s going on?” 

Finn knelt down to lift Emily into her arms, balancing her on her hip as she said “This is Emily, she’s seven, and she’s mine, I adopted her, well, I am adopting her, it’s a whole process.” 

Finn concluded her explanation waving her hand around to gesture awkwardly to the grand scheme of the situation. Karen placed her hand over her chest where her heart was, seemingly stunned by the news. Her eyes darted back and forth from her daughter to the little girl in her arms. 

“Can I ask how?” And why and what happened?” Karen started to ramble and Finn expected this.

“It’s a long story,” Finn said, adjusting her hold on Emily, “It's best if we discuss it later.”

Karen seemed to get the hint and held her questions back. 

“She’s beautiful,” she declared instead, stepping closer to Finn and Emily “hi there, I’m Julie's mom, it’s nice to meet you.” 

“Hi,” Emily said back shyly. 

“You girls must be hungry,” Karen defaulted to food to break the silence “I can fix you lunch.” 

“That would be great, thank you,” Finn said. 

The trio entered the kitchen, Finn settled Emily down in a chair at the kitchen table, scooting her chair close when she sat down. Karen started making sandwiches but dropped several items in her hands as she kept stealing glances at the girls, watching them interact. Finn handed Emily a coloring book and a box full of crayons and markers which she happily started to use, flipping to a page and beginning to scribble in with a purple marker. Finn swept the girls wavy hair back, smoothing out some tangled strands, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 

“PB and J okay?” Karen asked as she fumbled with the loaf of bread. 

“Sure,” Finn said as she started pulling things out of her purse, paperwork and her cell phone. 

“Where’s daddy?” Finn inquired now of her missing father. 

“He does part time at the hospital, remember?” Karen said “although most days part time turns into full time he gets so caught up in his work.” 

Karen brought over the sandwiches as she spoke, serving one to each of them, watching Emily color. She had begun working on a blank page, making her own picture. 

“What are you drawing?” Karen asked in as soft a tone as possible. 

“Seattle,” Emily replied, swapping out a green crayon for a blue one. 

“Seattle,” Karen repeated “that’s very pretty, have you been there?”

“No,” Emily said scribbling in what Karen guessed to be blue water “but Aunt Julie said she’s going to take me after here.”

“Aunt Julie?” Karen repeated the title, glancing at her daughter who had picked off the bread crusts of her sandwich and made a face. 

“She wants to go, she wants to see where I used to live and work so I promised I would take her,” Julie said, reaching out to brush Emily’s hair affectionately again. 

“So, all these big plans, these trips, this adoption,” Karen listed Finn’s sudden shift in behavior “what brought all this on?”

“My parents died,” Emily answered bluntly before Finn could. 

Karen would get whiplash from turning her head to stare at her daughter in shock of all these declarations. 

“It’s the truth,” Finn confirmed “I was called to a scene with Russell and it was Emily’s parents house, it was carbon monoxide poisoning, luckily she was at a sleepover with her friends that night, I was only supposed to look after her until social services could make other arrangements but I didn’t want to lose her.”

Finn’s voice started to falter as she spoke. Karen felt a pain in her chest, figuring this was the same ache her daughter must have felt for the child and why she stepped in to protect her. 

“Foster care is hell,” Finn continued with a change in pitch to her voice, emotions rising “Sara told me enough to make me realize I had to keep her.” 

“I get it,” Karen said reaching across the table to pat her arm in comfort and support “I think it’s spectacular, your father’s going to be so excited, he gets to be a grandpa, how about that?”

Finn smiled, biting her lip, fighting back her tears so Emily wouldn’t see. 

“You look like you could use some ice cream” Karen said when she saw that Emily had finished her sandwich. 

“Yes please,” Emily said, her mood perking up at that idea. 

Karen fished out three vanilla ice cream cones from the freezer and the trio shared dessert at the table. Karen still had many questions for her daughter and Emily but for now, ice cream and silence would do. 

~Evening~

“Now this is Julie when she was eight and played on the softball team, oh and this is her at the Christmas pageant, look at those little elf shoes and that hat!” 

Both Karen and Emily were skimming through a photo album of Finn’s youth, much to her dismay but it was a welcomed relief to hear Emily giggle at the silly pictures and ask questions about each one. The trio was nestled on the couch with various photo albums scattered around the coffee table and empty armchair. When they could hear noise in the kitchen, they glanced back for the source. 

“Karen I’m home,” Patrick called out to his wife as he entered the living room “you would not believe the backlog of paperwork the nurses left for me, I think I’m going to have to go in early tomorrow to get started on it.” 

“That’s fine with me dear,” Karen said as Patrick caught sight of his daughter at last. 

“Oh hey kiddo,” he greeted her, “why didn’t you come down to the hospital to see me?”

“We were just catching up here with mom,” Finn said, standing up to greet her father, smiling when she got the usual quick kiss on the cheek. 

“Well then you have to come down tomorrow,” Patrick insisted “the nurses ask about you all the time, well the ones that haven't retired yet.”

He happened to glance at the myriad of photo albums scattered around the space before his eyes landed on Emily who was staring at all three of them from the couch. 

“Honey,” Patrick addressed Karen now “did you start a babysitting business or something?”

“Let's go with, or something,” Karen said, grinning as he struggled to put the pieces together. 

Finn stepped in now, reaching out for Emily who scurried off the couch and over to her, leaning against her side. 

“Daddy this is Emily,” Finn explained “she’s seven years old and she’s my-my-I’m adopting her.” 

It was still a struggle to figure out just how to label herself in this situation. 

Patrick stared at his wife, then his daughter, then at the little girl clinging to her side. A smile spread across his face as he realized what was going on. 

“Get out of town,” he said shaking his head but smiling “a baby, well, a kid, your kid, our granddaughter, this is fantastic!” 

He bent down to Emily’s height and said “Hey kiddo nice to meet you.” 

Just like before, Emily was shy in her response, muttering a soft “Hi” 

“Oh hey it's okay, I know you’re scared,” Patrick soothed her “Julie was just like you when she was little, but you are going to love it here, how long are you staying?”

He brought the question back to Finn who said “Just a couple of days.”

“Well then we have got to have as much fun as possible,” Patrick declared “do you like baseball? I’ve got all of Julie’s old stuff in the garage, some toys, tons of books upstairs, we can go to the park and the mall and get those giant cookies as big as your face!” 

“Really?” Emily asked in disbelief but with excitement in her voice. 

“You bet,” Patrick said, sounding more like a grandpa with each passing second. 

“Aunt Julie, can we go there tomorrow?” Emily asked looking up at Finn. 

“Sure,” Finn promised, hugging her a little tighter, thrilled by all the joy that surrounded her in this moment. 

~Night~

After dinner, Finn helped Emily take a bath, change into pajamas and brush her long brown hair, letting it dry naturally before settling her into the guest bedroom that used to be her childhood room. The walls still looked the same as did the windows and closet but the bed had been upgraded and the carpeting changed. Nevertheless, there were still her own drawings and photos on the walls and picture frames on the desk with little knick knacks and some toys she had from her youth that were still in good shape. Finn tucked Emily in under the covers, making sure to tuck in the two stuffed animals she picked out from her collection for this trip into the bed with her. Their luggage was scattered around the room. 

“I’m going to help my parents clean up in the kitchen then I’ll take my shower and come to bed okay?” Finn explained to Emily “and if you’re still awake, then we will have snuggle time how does that sound?”

“Okay,” Emily agreed, holding her arms out for a hug which Finn supplied along with kisses to her cheek like she had done every night since she had been in her care. She watched Emily settle under the covers, stuffed animals held safely in her arms before smoothing her hair back one last time, turning the light off but leaving the door open a crack so the hallway light could seep into the space then slipping quietly out of the room. 

Back in the living room, with the dinner dishes cleared and the food put away, Finn used the downstairs bathroom to shower and change before settling in the armchair to watch a little TV and let her hair dry before going back to Emily. 

“So when do you get to sign the paperwork?” Karen asked 

“Soon,” Finn said curling up with a pillow, “I have a lawyer and the social worker going over the details, I have to make sure you guys are aware of everything for legal reasons since you're living family and I need to set up a guardian for Emily in case something happens to me on the job.”

“Who did you pick?” Karen asked. 

“Sara,” Finn said covering a yawn “she’s young, she knows the system, she would be perfect for Emily, they have already hung out a few times and I can tell she trusts her.” 

“And why the Aunt Julie moniker?” Patrick asked. 

“Well I didn’t want to take away what her real mother was to her so we thought the aunt thing was better,” Finn explained, fluffing her hair lazily. 

Patrick and Karen smiled at how this was all coming together. It was Emily’s soft voice calling “Aunt Julie?” from the stairs that made them all jump and turn. 

“Oh honey I’m sorry,” Finn soothed, reaching out for her “I promised I’d be right there.”

“I can’t sleep,” Emily complained as she hurried over to Finn who scooped her up and settled her in her lap. 

“I know,” Finn soothed her “we had that long flight and it’s still early back in Vegas.”

She cradled her against her chest, brushing her hair hoping to soothe her to sleep, knowing the jet lag would be a problem for a while. 

“How about a bedtime story?” Karen suggested. 

“That sounds like a great idea,” Finn said and Emily nodded. Karen held her hand out now and Emily slipped from Finn's lap, letting Karen take her hand and guide her back upstairs for the story. 

“I’ll be up in five minutes,” Finn promised, watching her mother hold Emily’s hand and waving when the little girl waved back to her. 

When they disappeared upstairs, Patrick couldn’t help but smirk at Finn.

“This is a good look on you slugger,” he declared. 

“What's that?” Finn asked, forcing herself to look away from the stairs and back at her father. 

“Being with her,” Patrick said, “you adore her and she worships you, she trusts you, it’s a beautiful thing slugger.”

“I can’t explain it,” Finn said “but when I see her, my heart just does this thing, this weird pain and I just want to hug her and never let go.”

“That’s love sweetpea,” Patrick reminded her and Finn could not help but smile. 

Finn said goodnight to her father in the hallway between the two rooms. He slipped into the master bedroom and she turned to enter her old room. She could hear her mother reading to Emily as she hovered outside the slightly open door. She smiled when she heard the funny voices and sound effects her mother was making for the story and Emily’s delighted giggles. When Finn slipped into the room, Emily had been tucked back in bed while Karen was reading to her from a stack of books on the end table, having dragged the desk chair over so she could sit close to the bed as she read. Karen paused in her story telling when she saw Finn enter. 

“Don’t stop,” Finn encouraged as she crawled into the bed nestling under the covers with Emily. 

Karen smiled then continued the story, speaking with gestures and voices for the characters. Emily snuggled up to Finn as Karen read, her reactions to the story fading as sleep started to overtake her. By the third story, she was out. 

“Bless her heart,” Karen whispered as she closed the book. 

“We’ve done this every night,” Finn explained, brushing at some tangled strands of Emily’s hair “she was terrified to sleep alone that first night after she lost her parents so I let her stay with me and she refuses to sleep anywhere else.” 

Finn realized this might be a problem later in her life but right now, all she cared about was making Emily feel safe and loved after all the loss she had suffered. 

“You’re a good mommy,” Karen praised Finn “well, a good auntie if you prefer that.”

“You’re a good grandma,” Finn praised her mother who made a face at the title. 

“I love it,” she assured Finn “but I want a cool grandma name.” 

“Okay we’ll work on that,” Finn said sarcastically but with a smile. 

“Sleep,” Karen encouraged her, “you’re gonna need it, your father is skipping work tomorrow to take you girls out on the town, you’ll need your strength.” 

They both smirked at how excited Patrick was to fulfill this new grandpa role. Finn settled back on the pillows, shifting Emily to a more comfortable position so they could both sleep and she could still hold her. Karen switched off the light, leaning in and kissing them both on the forehead, whispering softly “sweet dreams girls” her heart fitting to burst with love for them both.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a new side of Finn I have been anxious to explore and hope to continue with mini stories to showcase the bond Finn has with Emily and how they came to be.


End file.
